If he is not punished, it will be difficult to quell public anger, and then more memorials will be submitted, which will be impossible to read. Pressing his temples, Emperor Yuming said: "Issue my decree: Minister of War Yuan Fang has overstepped his bounds and is hereby fined one month's salary. I hope this small punishment will serve as a warning to others."
"Yes, sir."
...
...
The position of the reception envoy has been decided, and the Ministry of Rites has prepared the welcoming banquet. Zhenzhen'er truly embodies the saying, "Everything is ready except for the east wind."
Thus, under the watchful eyes of the masses, the Crown Prince of Qing and his envoy finally entered the capital.
Today's welcoming banquet was much more grand than the New Year's banquet. Qin Xi chose a formal outfit and neatly folded Lu Huai's clothes at the head of the bed before waking him up.
"Why do you always wear this sachet?" Lu Huai, wearing only a snow-white undergarment, leaned on the edge of the bed with one hand, frowning as he looked at her.
Qin Qi paused, subconsciously touched the purse at her waist, slowly rolled her eyes, and then pursed her lips and said, "This is a peace charm that Zi Hui and I obtained from Jinglin Temple. It is said to protect the peace of the family, so I have been wearing it ever since."
"I didn't realize you were such a superstitious person."
"It's just a matter of 'better safe than sorry.' Since we've already prayed for it, it would be a shame to lose it."
Upon hearing this, Lu Huai got out of bed, slowly walked to her, reached out and lifted her chin, looking at her and saying word by word, "Believe in me instead of this. Tell me what your wish is, and maybe I can be more effective than this."
Seeing the seriousness in his eyes, Qin Xi almost revealed all the uncertainty in her heart, but her throat tightened, and she couldn't say a word.
She always felt that Lu Huai knew everything, yet knew nothing at all.
The throbbing in her chest made Qin Xi look away somewhat awkwardly, and she forced a smile, saying, "I know, you should change your clothes quickly."
Lu Huai stared at her intently for a long time, until her scalp tingled, before finally looking away and calmly humming in agreement.
"You wash up first, Zihui and I will go for a walk." Qin Xi swallowed, not daring to look at him.
"Um."
The welcoming banquet will be held in the palace in the evening; it's too early now. Seeing that Lu Huai didn't say anything, Qin Qi breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.
Lu Huai stood still, narrowing his eyes, his expression inscrutable.
...
...
"Wow, what a grand spectacle!" In a private room on the second floor of Yuxianzhai, Shu Hua looked at the surging crowds on the street and exclaimed softly, "Why wasn't it this lively when the envoys came in previous years?"
Qin Xi pursed her lips: "In previous years, there was constant war, and the people were suffering terribly. Who would give them a kind look?"
That's true.
The land of Qing is fertile but sparsely populated, and Emperor Yuming has long harbored the ambition to annex it. In the past, the two countries fought fiercely every year, and the common people were already being polite by not throwing rotten eggs at the enemy's envoys; how could they expect to get away with it?
However, the Kingdom of Jing has numerous valleys, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, a truly tough nut to crack. Emperor Yuming had sent troops to conquer it many times, and even General Qin's personal command had yielded no results. If it weren't for this, he probably wouldn't have agreed to the Kingdom of Jing's request for peace.
Shu Hua rested her chin on her hand, looking at the people below with a somewhat idle expression: "The Emperor of Qing Kingdom is also heartless, directly sending the Crown Prince to marry Zhao Xuanqing without even inquiring about her temperament. If he really marries her as a concubine, I'm afraid Qing Kingdom will be thrown into chaos."
Qin Xi took a small sip of tea, still thinking about what Lu Huai had said to her. When she heard Shu Hua's words, she simply said, "It has always been like this."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com